London, September 18, 2019 – Five start-ups will travel to Hong Kong next February for the chance to pitch for an investment of up to $5,000,000, as well as $100,000 cash, after successfully being shortlisted at yesterday’s Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund / HSBC JUMPSTARTER 2020 (“JUMPSTARTER 2020”) semi pitch event in London. Four of these start-ups hail from the UK, one is US-based.
JUMPSTARTER 2020 is a global pitch competition held in eight cities across the globe. Its goal is to connect global entrepreneurial talent with Hong Kong to bolster its reputation as a start-up hub and encourage start-up founders to establish operations in the city.

The London round, which attracted almost 250 entries from the UK and the rest of the world, is designed to find the best start-ups from the retail, fintech, smart-city and advanced technology sectors who have a desire to make Hong Kong part of their future plans. In addition to the investment, the winning start-up will also gain access to the Alibaba ecosystem to capitalise on its valuable insights, experience and resources.

The five businesses shortlisted at the London event for February’s Grand Finale in Hong Kong are:

• British Pearl (UK) - enables affordable investment in UK and EU property from £1,000 as either a shareholder or lender.
• ORB Innovations (UK) -  develops smart sports wearables which track player performance by analysing physical responses to training and improving player welfare by monitoring player load to reduce stress induced injuries.
• Stasher (UK)  - connects travellers with local businesses who can store their luggage securely and fully insured.  
• Unmanned Life (US) – SaaS platform which enables industries to be fully autonomous across major verticals such as supply chain logistics, telco, public safety, smart cities and manufacturing.

• VividQ (UK) -  a deep tech software company providing software solutions and expertise in 3D holography.

Cindy Chow, Executive Director, Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, said: “We received an overwhelming number of applications from UK and the rest of the Europe for our London competition, and we’ve seen an exceptional standard of pitches during this round. This unprecedented series of events is exclusively focused on showcasing quality start-ups and providing high-impact networking opportunities. I look forward to seeing the shortlisted businesses showcase their ideas in front of our global judges in February’s Grand Finale.”

Duncan White, Head of Small Business Banking Portfolio Managed at HSBC UK, said: “We’re delighted to be title sponsor for JUMPSTARTER 2020 as part of our wider commitment to support businesses of all sizes globally, from early stage start-ups to established multi-nationals. JUMPSTARTER is a great platform for all entrepreneurs and young people to realise their goals, and it’s inspiring to see such ambition. I’m confident that the five finalists are well placed to succeed in this competition and wish them the best of luck.”

Susanne Chishti, CEO, FINTECH Circle & FINTECH Circle Institute, added: “It was fascinating to witness the exceptional pitches from promising start-ups who took part in London's semi-final. JUMPSTARTER provides a well-established platform to connect talented start-ups and investors. It also further enhances the start-up ecosystem by encouraging them to exchange ideas with each other and explore potential new markets.”

The JUMPSTARTER 2020 series is the first of the JUMPSTARTER series to host global pitching events in cities including Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, London, San Francisco Bay Area and Toronto. The Grand Finale will take place in Hong Kong on 11-12 February 2020.  

For more information about JUMPSTARTER, please visit www.jumpstarter.hk.


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